Unidentified “box boy” is ready for eclipse action at one of the total solar eclipse viewing sites in Casper, Wyoming. This observer donned a cardboard box with eye-protective plastic to view the partial eclipse before totality.Credit: Barbara David

CASPER, Wyoming – To paraphrase the legendary fighter, then Cassius Clay chiding his opponent, Sonny Liston, it was a celestial punch that was a true knockout – “a total eclipse of the Sunny!”

“It’s all about what the eclipse means to you, what it means to you and to you only,” and how personally it affects you, said John Goss, president of the Astronomical League that sponsored Astrocon 2017 here, in part a celebration of the total eclipse of the Sun.

During total eclipse, participants use their hands to observe crescent shapes on the ground.Credit: Leonard David

Yes, I survived the Great American Eclipse of 2017, soaking up the solar eclipse in Casper, Wyoming.